Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-04-02
A PERPETUAL MOTION CRANK.
Patent Attorney Tells the Story of q
Curious Case.

Patent Attorney Tells the Story of a
Curious Case.
An OLD MAN IN A FEVER OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ING THE wILL-o-THE-wIsP OF PERPETUAL Mo-
TI0N-A NEW MECHANICAL PRINCIPLE-WINNING
CASE By MAKING BUTTER.
"Do you have many perpetual notion cranks
howadays?" asked STAR reporter OF prominent
patent attorney, at Wizards Hotel last night.
mot many" was the reply. 81 have had only one
or Two In my experience. One OF them was a very
singular case. 1t happened quite while ago.
One day, while was sitting at one Of my spare
desks examining patent case the door opened and
In walked three men In Indian file. They were
queer-loOking fellows. The first was tall gaunt,
gray-6earded and gray-haired man, dressed in old
fashioned black clothes, covered by long linen
custer. The second was short, fat, chunky fell
low, q countryman, apparently, and neighbor OF
tne old FELLOW. The third man evidently
belonged In this city. Probably he picked the
Otner Two up, or happened to know what they
were after, and so brought them to me- We'll,
when they got inside the door, the old fellow
sIalked over In military fashion in my direction.
When ne got directly opposite me he turned right
about, and, walking up to my desk, drew long
and large roll OF paper from under his arm. He
think Of that? took the ron 6pened 20 s s0d
aIler looking over It's contents for few minutes,
during which the old fellow stood as silent the
motion device That's just what 1t is SIR That's
just what 1t is. knew you would see it in a min
ute, said the Old man with grin.
PRIVATE CONFERENCE.
1.-THE old man then looked around to where my
craftsman was sitting, an interested spectator OF
the scene. He mOtiOned silently with one hand to
my private office, acting as If he wanted to speak
OF things he did not wish overheard. Well, into
my ONCE the three walked. When they got inside
against It, so that the craftsman could not get in
The old gentleman then asked me what could do
for him inquired of him in reply If ne had
pockets three combs with cOnvolutes on them. 1
took them in my hand for a moment and then
told the old fellow that frankly could not get
you know, is chestnut, and unless we could
make some practical demonstration OF the inven-
would throw 1t out and laugh at me
for my pains. But the old gentleman persisted
that he wanted 1t patented, even though told
him time and again that it was utterly useless:
that there never had been and never could be such
device invented. However, saw that the me
chanical principle involved in part of the thing
was radical and totally new, and thought that /
might get him patent for that. told him SO. He
wouldn't hear OF it at drst but finally after his
companions had persuaded him that it would be
best to let me protect him in that respect and that
ne could hereafter obtain patent on the rest the
old fellow consented.
READY WITH HIS CASH.
"He then asked me what was my fee. / told him
that s. was all I asked to make a prelim-
not already been patented. But he wasn't salts
fed with this. He wanted me to apply for the
patent anyhow, and So told him that would
require s50-s15 for the Patent Office fee
and $35 for myself-to start the thing He
inside pocket, he pulled out an old leather pouch
stuffed full OF money; He took $50 bill
out out and handed It to me- It was then Saturday,
back to Arkansas. and that, as he had about
eighty miles OF staging to do after he left the rail-
the get 70 ns before S6W
although had taken the fee of $50 from the old
man, had no intention OF hurrying the matter
up, because l thought he was crazy and there
fore thought that the bare fact OF his knowing
that the invention was then on its way through
the Patent Office would satisfy him and keep him
quiet for time So, just as they left the Office
called the short man back, and said 10 him that
Intended Inter to hang the patent up in my ofice for
LET THE CAT OUT
OF the bag. He told me that it was put-up fol,
on the old man; that he had been a prosperous
dentist In country town down in Arkansas when
he got the idea into his head OF inventinp perpet.
ual motion. From that time he gave up business
eyeryth1ng-and devoted all his time and money
to his invention. He said also that during the
three years the old fellow had worked on it that
ne had not mad on any night more than three hours
sleep, and tnat his friends, realizing his condition
sent him on in the hope that once he got the thing
before the office he would forget all about it. saw
months over it be would have to he nut in an inA
sane asylum. Well, the old man went home, and
do you know that before the following Thursday
patent on it. Iexpected, you know. that after I
had completed the preliminaries they would give
delay the affair as long as / pleased. But mol II
went through without a hitch, and hardly had the
old man goS to his home before my letter telling
him about 1t must have reached him
"'What then happened don't know. have
often wondered since what the old man did. and
whetner ne was nnaily locked up in ON asylum"
SINGULAR CASE
81 suppose you have had many other singular
cases" said the reporter.
"Any quantity OF them" replied the attorney.
IT had a case not long ago. An inventor living
way back In the country wrote me that he wanted
to get out patent on churn. The feature OF the
invention was that at the same time the cream
was churned the butter made was collected in the
churn by o peculiar motion in churning But the
man mad not the happy faculty OF expressing him
self on paper with clearness and SO when he wrote
personally for patent they threw the thing out
OF the ONCE because they could not understand it,
Wen, one night bought gallon and half of
| cream and after got home got out the churn
and poured the cream into It. I churnei away for
about ten minutes and then hauling up the lid
saw about three pounds OF butter nicely packed
against one side Of the churn. When nresented
t S case 70 the examiner he again threw it out,
isned that 1t was practical idea. When the iay
came for me to demonstrate the theory, got the
| produced q similar result. The board were asf0n
a Isl 90. me examiner, who was present was moro
~, duu dSAcQ me I'd eiOclQaCe the theory for his
dement,. told him did not know any more than
ne how IL was done. The effect was produced bY
the motion or the cream In the churn as told
you. When churned 1t was sent from one side to
the other, and then back to the CENTER and never
saw butter packed more neatly In my life Why
IL did not leave even decent buttermilkw
Don't you know OF some way OF preventing cars
| and life from being destroyed by fre from over
turned stoves In railroad accidents?n asked THR
| STAR.
IF did, !" came the reply, In very dry tone 81
would quit the patent business No they've tried
good many ways but none suit II they heat q
car Dy steam, were the pipes TO burst you run the
r1sk OF being scalded to death. II you heat by a
stove, the coal Will set the on re II It upsets
They have tried the plan OF attaching heating
car to train, but that Is utterly and absOlutelS
impracticable. II they use chemicals to generate
heat they can't tell but that at any minute the
car may De shot up into the air. The man who
inventS such continuance as viii prevent ali this
has got an enormous fortune In his hands Sure
too"
The Americas Club, OF Pittsburg, win celebrate
Gen. Grants birthday, April q, with a banquet.
hon roscoe ConEung and Gov. Foraker, OF Ohio.
nave accepted Invitations
John Most, the anarchist was released from
Biaekwelis Island, yesterday, and welcomed to
New YORK BY q few OF hts adherentA He WIN be
given formal reception nexs week